China Brands Christianity a ‘National Security’ Threat

The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Congress this week has largely focused on the development of Chinese “exceptionalism,” the development of “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” and the imposition of uniform identity through a sense of cultural and national superiority.

Far from the scope of free religious expression is “Xi Jinping Thought,” the colloquial name for the ideology the Chinese president has now formally enshrined into the CPC’s constitution. At the congress this week, the head of the umbrella agency that supervises religion insisted that “socialist core values” must be at the heart of any religious faith active in China.

Zhang Yijiong, the head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), explained on Friday that the Communist Party had a long way to go to “sinicize religion”—make it more Chinese.

While the Chinese government has branded all religion a national security threat, of paramount concern is Christianity. Christianity has seen such a dramatic surge in popularity that Christians reportedly outnumber Communist Party members in the country. In response to this phenomenon, the Chinese government announced the imposition of new regulations imposing onerous fines and jail time on Christians who participate in “unauthorized” travel to religious conferences, engage in “unregistered” Christian activities like house prayer, or refuse to abide by laws demanding the removal of any public displays of Christianity.

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